Exit, Stage Boston
by Count Mallet
Summary: Speculative one-shot set between S5E24 and S6E1. Kate decides to transfer after one semester at the School of the Arts. She invites Danny to join her for Lunch at Lou's Lanes to tell him the news and her reasons for leaving. Danny does his best to be supportive. Rated K-plus solely for brief mentions of past dating relationships. [S32-F24-O14]


_**Exit, Stage Boston.**_

A _Fame '82_ fan fiction.

By Count Mallet.

* * *

"Danny, over here!" Kate called out.

Danny navigated the crowded aisles of _Lou's Lanes_ to the booth at which Kate sat. Today was the last day of final exams at the School of the Arts. Danny was particularly pleased to begin his summer vacation after writing a lengthy essay for English class.

"How did you get here, so early?" Danny asked curiously.

"My last exam was an easy one. Fortunately, science is my best academic subject," Kate replied proudly.

"You're lucky. I had to write an essay for Sherwood. Maybe it's taking the Lord's name in vain, but thank God **that's** over."

"That's how I felt about my final assignment in Miss Grant's Dance class."

"Enough of that," Danny interrupted. "School is out for the summer and I don't even want to think about anything class-related until we go back."

"_But **we** won't be going back," _Kate thought and was about to say before Lou came up to their booth.

"Alright, kids, what'll it be?" Lou asked. Although it sounded like he was in a hurry to take the order and serve the food, he was fond of many of the students from across the street – despite his gruff demeanor.

"Is a pizza okay, Danny?" Kate asked.

"Now, you're talking. A nice large one with a ton of pepperoni and ham. We've earned it after this semester."

"And two colas," Kate added.

"Sit tight, guys. I'll have Laura make it and heat it up in a jiffy," Lou said before returning to the counter and relaying the order to his niece.

"Kate, I'm a bit surprised you asked me here. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did. I'm just kind of curious why you asked me out."

Kate took a deep breath. This wasn't meant to be a date at all. She had just made a very important and difficult decision. Given her precarious relationships with some of her other male classmates, she felt Danny was one of the few males she could comfortably confide in with this information.

"Danny. Don't get me wrong. You're a great guy and you've been a good classmate, especially in our drama class. But this wasn't meant as a date. I have some big news and I felt you were one of the few guys I could tell without feeling awkward about it."

Danny looked confused now. If being asked out by a girl was a surprise, except for the Sadie Hawkins dance, being asked out solely as two friends having lunch was quite the bombshell. Still, he felt compelled to be a gentleman about it.

"I'm down with that," he finally replied. "But what's this big news that you can't tell anyone else?"

Kate did her best to keep eye contact with Danny. "Given how rough this semester was for me, I've decided to transfer to another school … in Boston."

Danny looked as if Lou had just announced he was out of pizza dough.

"Kate, you've only been here for one semester. Sure, it was rough, but it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Well, in terms of the classes, it wasn't too bad. But that's not why I'm leaving. I've really hurt my reputation in my short time here. It's best I go where I can get a fresh start and still pursue my dream of being an actress."

"What hurt reputation?"

"Remember the Sadie Hawkins dance? I asked Jesse to be my date when he and Nicole had that fight. She was so mad at me for asking him that she threatened to rip my arms off. To this day, she still gives me a very icy glare any time we pass in the hallways."

"Okay, but why let one bad experience send you packing? You're strong enough to bounce back."

"Maybe you're right, Danny. But do you remember the Sherlock Holmes play? Chris and you were convinced Miltie was involved in some sort of scandal, so you asked me to pretend to like him. The truth is I fell for him a little, but he was too socially awkward around me. Personally, I think he's too socially awkward around **any** girl. So, it didn't last long. A lot of girls gossiped about that and questioned my morals and why I'd even be nice to Miltie, let alone go out with him."

"Miltie is a jerk to most everybody, Kate," Danny protested. "If he's the reason you're leaving, don't give him the satisfaction of driving you away."

"It's not just that, Danny. I was rejected something awful, too. To make it worse, I was rejected by a guy who I truly cared for. I still can't believe I told him what I did after what he eventually did to me."

Danny's right hand clenched into a fist. "Tell me who dissed you, Kate. I'd be happy to set him straight," he promised.

"It was Chris. I loved him so much and he decided to chase after some 40-year old woman. Not only did he not get the part she recommended for him, but he turned me off to the point I still get disgusted any time I see him."

Danny looked dazed. Chris and him were close friends, if not best friends. Sure, Danny and Chris were popular lady's men. However, there was an unwritten rule a guy was supposed to treat his woman with respect. But as much as Danny wanted to punch Chris, he didn't think he could do that to his friend. He was convinced there was another unwritten rule forbidding it.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I had no idea. I just can't believe he did that to you. It really puts me in the middle of things, you know?"

"I know. That's why I don't want you to do anything. Chris and I weren't meant to be. But that's no reason to throw away your friendship with him. But I bet you keep him honest the next time he goes out with another girl who also happens to be your friend."

Danny nodded before replying, "You got that right. But I still don't get it. You had bad luck with three guys and you're ready to call it quits here? That still makes less sense than the dream I had when that piece of pipe whacked me on the head."

Kate took a sip from the cola drink Laura just slid alongside her. Danny was usually a decent guy, but he certainly wasn't making this easy.

"I butted heads with Miss Grant this semester. I wasn't doing to well in her dance class for non-dancers. You know the one that's required for graduation if you don't want to dance with the shuffling buffaloes."

"Whoa. Miss Grant is one teacher you don't want to clash with – second only to Miss Sherwood."

"I know. Oddly enough, when she let me transfer to Miss Turner's class, I hated it. I couldn't wait to admit I made a mistake and go back. Miss Grant may have pushed me to my breaking point. But Miss Turner was just so cold and unemotional. She reacted the same way whether you did a combination correctly or totally screwed up a simple move. At least Miss Grant is as quick to praise you as she is to let you know you screwed up. But still, once I transferred back, it was obvious that she never looked at me the same way even if I did better in her class and she complimented me a few times for it. That's why I have to go, Danny. If the teachers can't look at me objectively, than I'm sunk before I can even start my career."

"You'll be missed, Kate. I know I'll miss you – as a friend. But at least answer me this: why Boston?"

"Their performing arts school is similar to the School of the Arts, so I won't have to adjust too much. Also, I have some relatives that live there that are already looking forward to seeing me. I think it will be fun to catch up with my cousins I haven't seen in years. But, most importantly, I'm really not interested in any guys there, so I won't have that distraction. I won't have to worry about my reputation if I don't date any of them," Kate explained.

Before Danny could say anything, Lou came up to the table with a pizza.

"One pizza with as much ham and pepperoni I could get on without charging you for extra toppings. Eat up and enjoy, kids," he said.

"Thanks, Lou," Danny answered before grabbing two slices of pizza. He seemed delighted to see the bubbling cheese sticking to the pan. Kate shook her head and helped herself to a piece of her own.

After taking a bite from one of his pizza slices, Danny remembered his final question. "Is there anything you're going to miss here?"

Kate finished another sip of her cola. "Mrs. Berg was so helpful with my transfer paperwork. She's such a kind soul. I'll miss some of the teachers. I know I'll miss people such as Reggie, Dusty, and even Mr. Dyrenforth. I'll also miss you. In way I'm glad we never did date. It was better to have you as a friend and know that I could trust you when I needed you the most."

"At least you saved the best person for last," Danny deadpanned.

Kate chuckled. "This isn't drama class, you can be serious here, you know."

"I was serious. Maybe it should bother me that an attractive girl never was interested in me. But for some reason, I'm okay with you feeling that way. Now let's finish this pizza off before you go. I want my last memory of you to be a good one."

* * *

After finishing their final lunch together and paying the bill, Kate was ready to say good-bye one last time.

"Well, Danny, this is it."

"Break a leg, Kate. Make them – and us – proud."

"I sure hope I do," Kate replied as she gave Danny a quick hug.

"I hope you keep in touch when you can."

"I'd like that, Danny. I just don't know how often I will. I'll be pretty busy, I'm sure."

"I hear ya. I wish there was like some sort of instant mail. You know, I could send you a message and it somehow got to you quickly. And then you could answer it the first chance you had."

"It would be a lot easier than exchanging letters in the mail. Whoever could make that idea work could make millions."

"I wish I knew how. I'm just Danny Amatullo from the Bronx – and a hopeful comedian."

"Someday, you won't just be hopeful Danny. Good-bye and good luck."

"See ya, Kate. Remember, don't be a stranger."

Kate nodded before turning and leaving _Lou's Lanes_.

"What was that about, Amatullo?" Lou asked.

"She's transferring to Boston. I feel like this was the last supper of sorts."

"At least her last meal in New York was one to remember. Boston has nothing on a nice greasy bowling alley pizza."

Danny shook his head in disbelief. "See ya, Lou," he stated before he left. Although he wasn't expecting Kate's news, he sincerely hoped her transfer to Boston worked out.

Now, however, there was something else that piqued his curiosity. He heard rumors Miss Sherwood was also leaving the School of the Arts. He had to find out if that was true. If it was, he hoped it meant no more tough essays in English class. ▄

* * *

**Disclaimer:** It appears that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer owns Fame characters & concepts.

**Commentary:** Recently, I've had a slight interest in some of the old _Fame_ episodes from the 1980's. I remember watching the first-showing of Season 2, Episode 19 (_Not in Kansas Anymore_) and I watched the syndicated reruns in the early '90s any chance I got.

As I rediscovered a couple of my favorite episodes, I recalled how the character Kate Riley barely lasted one semester. In fact, I believe she didn't even star in all 15 of the episodes shot during her time as a cast member. The season five finale didn't focus on the academic year end at all. And, the season six opener doesn't mention Kate's departure although Wikipedia reports she transferred to Boston. With that in mind, I decided to write something where Kate finds someone she felt comfortable with to explain her reasons for transferring. I also decided to include a slight teaser for the season six opener.

Seeing how this would take place in 1986, the internet had yet to become popular. However, I liked throwing in the idea that instant messaging or e-mail would make keeping in touch a lot better if such a thing existed in this time period.

Constructive feedback is welcome.


End file.
